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image hosting gifThis action seems like the sort of thing which would be of interest to people here, so I will list it here for a few days before putting it on an auction site. It is a forged straight grip original Marlin Ballard action. It has been in my family since the 1970's. It arrived as a gun show purchase with a reversible firing pin and no finish. 12 years ago I had gunsmith Bryan Burgin of upstate NY restore the action. He welded up the breech block halves, re-machined them and then drilled them for a round center fire pin. He also repaired a couple of screw holes a friend of my father had made for a receiver sight base. The firing pin and screws are the only non-original parts. The pin was made by Steve Meacham, and the screws by Cedar Creek, both in the 1990's. The action was polished, the screws fire blued, and the rest sent to the Color Case Co. for real bone case hardening. The results are spectacular, better than the photos show. For some reason the photos appear somewhat muted, when the colors are actually quite vivid: brown, blue, grey and green. The finish has been protected with a lacquer coating. The frame of this action is unmarked, which is somewhat unusual. Grant does mention having seen some like it in one of his books. My guess is that it was intended to be engraved and wasn't. The breech block set is numbered on the tail in the normal position. I think this action could be the basis for a very high quality black powder rifle, nicer than one from Cody and 130+ years old to boot.
Terms:
Now listed on the ASSRA forum as well, so the first person to say "I'll take it" on either forum gets the action.
Price:
$1,050. I pay the shipping and make a donation to whichever board.
Payment:
A U.S. postal money order or national bank (Chase, BoA, Citi, Wells Fargo) cashiers check in my mailbox within 7 days.
Shipping:
I will no later than the next business day after receiving your payment, ship the action to you and e-mail you the FedEx Ground tracking number. This is a pre-1898 antique part, so no FFL involvement is required. It will be insured and require an adult signature on delivery.
